AutoCAD 2009 and AutoCAD LT 2009 Bible
AutoCAD ®
2009 & AutoCAD LT ®
2009 Bible
Ellen Finkelstein AutoCAD ®
2009 & AutoCAD LT ®
2009 Bible
Ellen Finkelstein
® ® AutoCAD 2009 & AutoCAD LT 2009 Bible Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc.
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About the Author
Ellen Finkelstein learned AutoCAD in Israel, where she always got to pore over the manual because it was in English. After returning to the United States, she started consulting and teaching AutoCAD as well as other computer programs, including Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. She has also taught courses on Web writing and usability. Her Web site, www.ellenfinkelstein.com , contains tips and techniques for AutoCAD and PowerPoint, and she publishes a monthly AutoCAD Tips Newsletter. Ellen has written extensively on AutoCAD, including articles for Autodesk’s Web site, such as three white papers on dynamic blocks, and features for AutoCAD’s Help system. She is also the editor of Inside AutoCAD, a monthly newsletter published by Eli Journals.
Ellen’s first book was AutoCAD For Dummies Quick Reference. Since then, she has written books on PowerPoint, OpenOffice.org (OpenOffice.org For Dummies), Flash (such as Flash CS3 For Dummies), and Web technologies (for example, Syndicating Web Sites with RSS Feeds For Dummies). You’re holding the ninth edi- tion of this book, which previously appeared for AutoCAD releases 14, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008.
To MMY, for teaching me that there’s more to life than meets the eye and that the deeper levels of life are the most intelligent, powerful, and blissful.
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Barry Pruett ongratulations!
C
Whether you are a new or expert user with AutoCAD, you have truly made a worthwhile investment with the AutoCAD Bible. This book will be a valuable addition to your library that you will use on a reg- ular basis as a reference and guide to using AutoCAD. With each release of AutoCAD and its new feature set, the AutoCAD Bible is an excellent resource for learning and getting up to speed quickly on all things AutoCAD. Everything from the basics of AutoCAD including 3D and programming is covered in this book. The information is well organized and a comprehensive index makes retrieving information that you need a cinch. You’ll see real-world examples and AutoCAD drawings on the DVD that will quickly help you under- stand and learn new concepts through the exercises. Even more helpful is the fact that the drawings are available in both a before and after format, allowing you to use the after format as a reference. Ellen has been writing books about AutoCAD for so long that she is practically a household name here at Autodesk and in the AutoCAD world. She is an active participant in our beta program and helps shape the direction of future releases of AutoCAD. You are truly learning from one of the finest and experienced professionals in this field.
Although the in-depth coverage of this book may seem overwhelming, do not feel discouraged by the books thickness. Pick out the tools that you want to learn about and then proceed from there, or if you are interested in learning new features, pick a different topic each week to learn about. Thank you, Ellen, for creating another great edition of the AutoCAD Bible. I know our customers will benefit from reading it as I have.
Doug Cochran AutoCAD Product Manager Autodesk, Inc.
elcome to the AutoCAD 2009 & AutoCAD LT 2009 Bible. Whether you use AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT, you’ll find complete explanations of all the powerful features that you need to know about to design and draw anything. This book is designed to be your comprehensive
W guide to both the AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT programs.
This book covers every significant AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT feature. If you’re a beginning user, you’ll find everything you need to start out; if you’re already using AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT regularly, the book covers advanced material, as well. Although you can use this book as a tutorial if you’re just start- ing out or learning a new set of features, it also provides a solid reference base to come back to again and again. The short tutorials on almost every topic will quickly have you creating professional-level draw- ings. The DVD is chock-full of drawings, a trial version of AutoCAD 2009, and add-in programs (which are mostly for AutoCAD only). This book is all that you need to make full use of either program. For AutoCAD 2009, the emphasis is on a new interface, quick access to information, navigation, and a new macro recorder. Most of the new features are in AutoCAD LT 2009, as well.
Is This Book for You?
The AutoCAD 2009 & AutoCAD LT 2009 Bible covers all of the essential features of AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT and includes clear, real-life examples and tutorials that you can adapt to your needs. Although I fully cover the basics, I have also included material on the many advanced features, such as external database connectivity, AutoLISP, Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), 3D modeling, rendering, and customization. (Most of the advanced features apply to AutoCAD only.) The following categories should help you decide whether this book is for you.
If you are a new AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT user
If you are new to AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT, the AutoCAD 2009 & AutoCAD LT 2009 Bible guides you through all that you need to know to start drawing effectively, whatever your field. Just start at the beginning.
If you are upgrading to AutoCAD 2009 or AutoCAD LT 2009
This book highlights all of the new features and helps you to make the upgrade transition as seamless as possible. Look for the New Feature icons.
Preface If you are switching from another CAD program
You already know what CAD is all about. This book clearly explains the AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT way of drawing the models that you have already been drawing. In addition, you’ll find a great deal of essential information about transferring files and data from other formats.
How This Book Is Organized This book is divided into eight parts.
Part I: AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Basics Part I provides the background information that you need to start drawing. It starts with a “quick tour” that
has you drawing right away, and then covers how to start a drawing, use commands, specify coordinates, and set up a drawing.
Part II: Drawing in Two Dimensions Part II covers all of the commands and procedures for drawing and editing in two dimensions. In addition, I
discuss how to control the drawing process with layers, zooming, and panning. Also included in this part is information about dimensioning, plotting, and printing.
Part III: Working with Data Part III covers many ways to organize and share data, including blocks, attributes, external references, and external databases. Part IV: Drawing in Three Dimensions Part IV explains everything that you need to know to draw in three dimensions. It also discusses how to present 3D drawings using hiding, shading, and rendering techniques. Part V: Organizing and Managing Drawings Part V helps you to incorporate AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT into your work world by explaining how to set
standards, manage drawings, and work with other applications. It concludes with a chapter on creating electronic output.
Part VI: Customizing AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Part VI introduces the tools that you need to customize commands, toolbars, linetypes, hatch patterns,
shapes, fonts, and the ribbon. You’ll also find a chapter on creating macros with script files as well as the Action Recorder.
Part VII: Programming AutoCAD Part VII introduces you to programming AutoCAD. It includes three chapters on AutoLISP and Visual LISP, and one chapter on Visual Basic for Applications. This part applies to AutoCAD only.
Preface
Part VIII: Appendixes Part VIII provides additional information for AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT users. Appendix A gives instruc-
tions for installing and configuring AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT. Appendix B covers additional resources for AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT users. Appendix C explains what you’ll find on the DVD.
The DVD contains a complete copy of this book in nonprintable PDF format.
How to Use This Book You can use this book in two ways: as a tutorial and learning tool, or as a reference.
As a tutorial
The overall organization of the book goes from simple to complex, and each chapter has several step-by- step exercises. This enables you to use the book as a tutorial, from beginning to end. You can always go back and redo any exercise when you need to refresh your memory on a particular feature. For newcomers to AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT, Parts I (AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Basics) and II (Drawing in Two Dimensions) are essential. After that, you can refer to chapters that interest you. Parts III (Working with Data) and V (Organizing and Managing Drawings) are also useful for beginners. Intermediate users will probably be familiar with most of the material in Part I and will be more likely to skip around, looking for the specific topics that they need. However, don’t forget that many new features are introduced in Part I. Enough material appears in this book to bring intermediate users up to a fairly advanced level. I have designed this book to be comprehensive and to include every significant feature of AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT. Therefore, do not be concerned if some of the material seems too advanced. It will be there when you are ready for it.
As a reference
The AutoCAD 2009 & AutoCAD LT 2009 Bible is organized as a reference that you can refer to whenever you are stuck, or when you try to do something for the first time. Each chapter covers a topic completely, mak- ing it easy to find what you’re looking for. Each Steps exercise (with a few exceptions) can be done on its own without doing the other exercises in the chapter. You can easily look up a topic and complete a related exercise without having to go through the entire chapter. A complete index at the back of the book can also help you to find features and topics.
Doing the Exercises
AutoCAD is a very customizable program. To a lesser extent, AutoCAD LT can also be customized in many ways. This book assumes that you are working with the default setup. However, a number of changes may have been made to your system that could result in the user interface and drawings appearing or even func- tioning differently from those shown in this book. If you installed AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT yourself and made some adjustments, you know what changes you have made. However, if you are using a computer that was set up by someone else, it may help to talk to that person first, to see what changes they made.
Preface
In addition, as you work through some of the exercises in this book, you will make certain changes in the program’s setup. Most of these are minor changes that any user would make while drawing. For safety, Cautions and Tips accompany all changes that could have serious consequences, such as customizing the menu. For example, when customizing the menu, you will be instructed to copy the menu file under a new name, and you will then work with the new menu file, not the original one. Nevertheless, if you are work- ing on a network or sharing your computer with someone else, it is important to consult with others who may be affected by the changes that you make. If you do the exercises, I recommend that you do them from the beginning. Important instructions are given during earlier exercises that may affect your system later. For example, one of the first exercises is to create a new folder to hold your drawings from the exercises. This folder keeps your exercise drawings sep- arate from other drawings that have been created in your office. However, each exercise stands on its own so that you can go back and do only the exercise that you need.
You can create your own configuration to help ensure that some changes that you make will CROSS-REF CROSS-REF not affect others. Instructions for doing this appear in Appendix A under the heading “Creating Multiple Configurations.”
The exercises in the AutoCAD 2009 & AutoCAD LT 2009 Bible have been carefully checked by a technical editor to ensure accuracy. However, we cannot anticipate all situations, due to either varying hardware and software configurations or customization. If you have a problem with an exercise, contact me at the e-mail address listed at the end of this Preface so that I can correct the problem in the book’s next edition. I will also try to give you the information that you need to complete the exercise.
Conventions Used in This Book
Given all the ways in which you can execute a command in AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT, you’ll find it useful to read this section, which describes this book’s typographical conventions. You will find this section helpful for doing the step-by-step exercises as well.
Using commands
AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT offer workspaces (covered fully in Appendix A) that provide very different ways of executing commands. The default workspace, 2D Drafting & Annotation, uses the ribbon and menu browser, whereas the Classic workspace uses more traditional menus and toolbars. I use this default workspace (or the 3D Modeling workspace for 3D drawing in AutoCAD) throughout the book. All workspaces offer a command line, where you can execute a command by entering its name. When I explain how to execute a command, I give the instructions for doing so on the ribbon, if possible. In addition, I almost always provide the name of the command so that you can enter it on the command line.
The new ribbon created a quandary for me, because I know that some people, especially those upgrading from earlier releases, will not use it; instead, they will prefer to use the Classic workspace with its familiar menus and toolbars. However, I felt that explaining how to execute each command in three ways (the rib- bon, the menu/toolbar, and on the command line) would be awkward, perhaps confusing, and space- consuming. What should you do if you are using this book with the Classic workspace?
Preface
In many cases, especially if you’re upgrading, you’ll already know where to find familiar commands. For new commands, it’s easy to find their location in the Classic workspace by going to the Help system. Follow these steps: 1.
Press F1 to open the Help window.
2. Click the Contents tab on the left.
3. Expand the Command Reference and then the Commands item.
4. Expand the listing of the command’s first letter and click the command.
5. Look at the top of the right-hand pane, where you’ll find instructions for all the available methods of executing the command.
When referring to the ribbon, I might say, “Choose Home tab ➪ Draw panel ➪ Line,” which means to click the Home tab if it’s not already displayed, look for the Draw control panel, and click the Line button in that panel. If you’re not sure which button to click, hover the mouse cursor over a button to see its tooltip, which provides more information. You can expand many control panels by clicking their title at the bottom of the ribbon; if a command is on the expanded section, I indicate that in the instruction. A few of the ribbon control panels have drop-down lists (or flyouts), which are equivalent to sub-menus. Therefore, to indicate which button to choose, I may need to tell you to choose Home tab ➪ Utilities panel ➪ Zoom drop-down list ➪ Zoom Extents. Although I haven’t found a good alternative, this is not com- pletely satisfactory for two reasons. First, it’s a mouthful! Second, the flyout names do not appear, making it hard to know which is the Zoom drop-down list. However, in most cases, the button icon will make it obvi- ous which drop-down list I’m talking about.
To indicate that you should choose a command from the menu, for example, I say, “Choose Menu Browser ➪ View ➪ Viewports,” which means that you should click the Menu Browser button at the upper- left corner of the application window, then click the View menu, and finally click the Viewports menu item.
Every command also has a command name that you can type on the command line, which appears at the bottom of your screen. Command names are shown in capital letters, as in CIRCLE. AutoLISP functions
COMMAND (which apply to AutoCAD only) are shown in small capital letters, as in .
Figures In order to create clear, legible figures, I have used a white background in AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT.
However, many people use a black drawing area. In Appendix A, I explain how to change this color. As you read through the book, you should be aware that you may see on your screen a negative image of what I show in the figures — a dark background and light-colored objects. Once you get used to this difference, you’ll easily recognize what you see in the figures.
In AutoCAD, the 3D environment further changes what you see on your screen. The default 3D background is gray. Again, I have sometimes changed the background color to white for the purpose of creating a clear figure.
Prompts, your input, and instructions
In the step-by-step exercises, most instructions are presented in the same font and style that you are reading now. However, when I reproduce the command line, the prompts appear in a nonproportional font. Other instructions (such as “Type the first coordinate”) are shown in italic. In any context, input that you need to type appears in bold.
Preface
The Dynamic Input feature shows prompts near your cursor, but additional options only appear if you click the down arrow on your keyboard. To make clear all of the available options, I use the command line for- mat of prompts. Here’s a sample step-by-step section. In this exercise, you click the proper ribbon button (which is shown in the margin), type the number shown in bold, press Enter where indicated by the bent arrow ( ↵ ) symbol, and follow the instructions that appear in italic.
8. To create a second rectangle inside the first one, choose the Home tab ➪ Modify panel ➪ Offset.
(I cover this and other editing commands in Chapters 9 and 10.) Follow these prompts:
Specify offset distance or [Through/Erase/Layer] <Through>: 4 ↵ Select object to offset or [Exit/Undo] <Exit>: Click the rectangle to select it.
Specify point on side to offset or Exit/Multiple/Undo] <Exit>: Click anywhere inside the rectangle. Select object to offset or [Exit/Undo] <Exit>: ↵
Often I refer to specific elements in a drawing. References to these elements appear in the text as numbers in circles, such as 1, 2, 3, and so on. You’ll find the corresponding number in the figure to which the text refers.
Mouse and keyboard terms
You can draw using a mouse or a puck. The mouse is familiar to all users. A puck (or sometimes a stylus) is used with a digitizing tablet. Because most users do not have a digitizing tablet, I do not directly refer to it in this book. If you have one, follow the instructions for using the mouse in the same way, but using your puck.
A mouse can have two or more buttons. Many users like using a mouse with at least three buttons because you can customize the buttons to suit your needs. However, because many mice have only two buttons, I assume only two. The left mouse button is used to choose commands and toolbar buttons, and to pick points in your drawing. For this reason, it is sometimes called the pick button. The right button usually opens a shortcut menu. The time-sensitive right-clicking feature enables you to use the right button either to open a shortcut menu or as the equivalent of pressing Enter. Because this feature is not on by default, I do not assume that you have turned it on. I use the term right-click when you need to access a shortcut menu. If you have time- sensitive right-clicking turned on, you need to hold down the right mouse button more than 250 milli- seconds (by default) to display the shortcut menu. See Chapter 3 and Appendix A for more details. If I say one of the following
Choose Menu Browser ➪ Tools ➪ Options Choose Home tab ➪ Draw control panel ➪ Line Select the circle in your drawing it means that you need to use the left button of your mouse.
When I say to press Enter, it means that you need to press the key that is marked Enter, Return, or ↵ on
↵
your keyboard. Often I use the bent arrow symbol ( ) that you see on your Enter key to indicate that you should press Enter.
Preface I also use the mouse terms listed in the following table.
Mouse Terms
Term DescriptionCursor The shape on your screen that shows you where the mouse is pointed. It can take a number of
shapes, such as crosshairs, pickbox, or arrow. It is also known as the mouse pointer. Pickbox A type of cursor consisting of a small box, used to select drawing objects. Crosshairs A type of cursor consisting of intersecting lines, sometimes with a pickbox at their center. Pick Point to a drawing object and click the left mouse button. Click Press the left mouse button once and release it. Double-click Press the left mouse button twice in rapid succession.Click and drag Click the left mouse button and hold it down while you move the mouse, dragging an object
on your screen with it. Choose Click a ribbon item, menu item, toolbar button, or dialog box item. You can sometimes choose an item using the keyboard, as well. I also use this word when you need to choose a command option, which you can do by choosing from a shortcut menu with a mouse, but also by typing the option’s abbreviation on the keyboard. Right-click Press the right mouse button once and release it. If you have turned on time-sensitive right- clicking, hold the right mouse button at least 250 milliseconds (by default) before releasing it. Shift and click While holding down the Shift key, press the left mouse button once and release it. Shift and right-click While holding down the Shift key, press the right mouse button once and release it. Shift and mouse wheel A new shortcut in AutoCAD for temporarily starting the 3DORBIT command requires you to press the Shift key and hold down the mouse wheel, using it like a button.Select Highlight an object in a drawing by picking it or by using another object selection method, or
highlight text in a dialog box or text document.What the Icons Mean AutoCAD 2009 & AutoCAD LT 2009 Bible is liberally sprinkled with icons — symbols in the left margin that call your attention to noteworthy points.
This icon means that the feature that I am discussing is not available in AutoCAD LT.
AUTOCAD ONLY AUTOCAD ONLY The Caution icon means that you should pay special attention to the information or instruc-
CAUTION CAUTION tions because a possibility exists that you could cause a problem otherwise.
Cross-References refer you to a related topic elsewhere in the book. Because you may not read
CROSS-REF CROSS-REF
this book straight through from cover to cover, you can use cross-references to quickly find just the information you need.
Preface The New Feature icon means that a feature is new to AutoCAD 2009 or AutoCAD LT 2009 or NEW FEATURE NEW FEATURE has been significantly changed.
A Note icon alerts you to some important point that requires special attention, or additional NOTE NOTE information that may be helpful.
The On the DVD icon highlights references to related material on the DVD. A Tip shows you a way to accomplish a task more efficiently or quickly. You’ll find plenty of TIP TIP practical advice here.
About the DVD
The DVD contains all of the drawings that you need to do the exercises in this book. These drawings are a great resource to help you learn using real-world drawings. In addition, the DVD includes the drawings that result after you finish an exercise or tutorial. In this way, you can check whether you have done an exercise correctly.
The DVD also contains many add-on programs that I hope you will find useful. I am especially pleased to include 30-day trial versions of AutoCAD 2009 and AutoCAD LT 2009 on the DVD, as well as this entire book in (nonprintable) PDF format.
Other Information
If you are already an advanced user but need tips and secrets for getting the most out of AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT, this book will probably not add too much to your already great store of knowledge. However, few people know everything about these complex programs, and so you may be surprised by what you can learn.
This book assumes that you know the basics of Windows, although the instructions that you’ll read here are usually detailed enough to get you through any task.
AutoCAD 2009 & AutoCAD LT 2009 Bible covers AutoCAD 2009 and AutoCAD LT 2009. However, most of
the information also applies to the 2008 release of both programs. I have used AutoCAD in Windows Vista, but almost everything also applies to Windows XP, although some of the screens will look different. If you are using AutoCAD LT 2009, again, some of the screens will look different. Where there is a significant dif- ference between AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT, I explain the difference.
Contacting the Author
I would be happy to hear any comments that you have about this book. The best way to contact me is by e-mail at ellen@ellenfinkelstein.com . You can also use the United States Postal Service (a.k.a. snail mail) and write to me in care of Wiley. Please note that I can’t provide technical support for my readers. The publisher maintains a page on its site that includes the drawings used in the exercises (in case you lose your DVD) and any errata at www.wiley.com/go/autocad2009bible . I have my own Web site at
www.ellenfinkelstein.com that contains information on my books and on AutoCAD, including
many AutoCAD tips. I invite you to sign up there for my free AutoCAD Tips Newsletter, so that you can continue the learning process. would like to offer special thanks to Stephanie McComb, my acquisitions editor, who was very sup- portive throughout the writing of this book.
I A huge thank-you goes to Jade Williams, whose infinite organizing power kept the book on track. Jade
kept up with a seemingly infinite number of versions of text documents and images, coordinating the writing, editing, and production of the entire book. I don’t know how this book could exist without her. My thanks to Lee Ambrosius, an AutoCAD consultant ( www.hyperpics.com ), and the highly knowl- edgeable technical editor for the book. Lee’s comments improved the book throughout. I also thank Marylouise Wiack for her precise editing of this very technical book, and all of the people at Wiley who helped with the production of this book and its DVD. Thanks to Doug Cochran, the AutoCAD Product Manager at Autodesk, Inc., for writing a great Foreword for this book. I also want to express my great appreciation to the members of Autodesk’s beta and product teams who were very supportive throughout the alpha and beta period. They include: Shaan (the great) Hurley, Nate Bartley, Alex Bicalho, Matt Stein, Eric Stover, and many others. Many people contributed drawings and software for this book. I’d like to thank all of them. They have helped to make this book the most comprehensive book on AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT available. I specifically want to thank Lee Ambrosius and Melanie Perry for their help in updating several of the chapters in this book. This book is long and detailed, and their able assistance made it possible for me to meet my deadlines. Finally, I would like to thank my husband, Evan, and two kids, Yeshayah and Eliyah, who helped out around the house while I was writing, writing, and writing (and who wanted to see their names in print). Without their support, I could not have completed this book.
Foreword ................................................................................................................................................v Preface ..................................................................................................................................................vii Acknowledgments..................................................................................................................................xv
Part I: AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Quick Start: Drawing a Window..............................................................................................................3 Chapter 1: Starting to Draw ..................................................................................................................13 Chapter 2: Opening a Drawing ..............................................................................................................27 Chapter 3: Using Commands ................................................................................................................37 Chapter 4: Specifying Coordinates ........................................................................................................61 Chapter 5: Setting Up a Drawing ..........................................................................................................95 Part II: Drawing in Two Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Chapter 6: Drawing Simple Lines ........................................................................................................113 Chapter 7: Drawing Curves and Points................................................................................................121 Chapter 8: Viewing Your Drawing ......................................................................................................137 Chapter 9: Editing Your Drawing with Basic Tools ..............................................................................171 Chapter 10: Editing Your Drawing with Advanced Tools ....................................................................195 Chapter 11: Organizing Drawings with Layers, Colors, Linetypes, and Lineweights ............................253 Chapter 12: Obtaining Information from Your Drawing ......................................................................287 Chapter 13: Creating Text....................................................................................................................309 Chapter 14: Drawing Dimensions........................................................................................................361 Chapter 15: Creating Dimension Styles ..............................................................................................409 Chapter 16: Drawing Complex Objects ..............................................................................................441 Chapter 17: Plotting and Printing Your Drawing..................................................................................483 Part III: Working with Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 519 Chapter 18: Working with Blocks and Attributes ................................................................................521 Chapter 19: Referencing Other Drawings ............................................................................................585 Chapter 20: Working with External Databases ....................................................................................609 Part IV: Drawing in Three Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 639 Chapter 21: Specifying 3D Coordinates ..............................................................................................641 Chapter 22: Viewing 3D Drawings ......................................................................................................667 Chapter 23: Creating 3D Surfaces........................................................................................................713 Chapter 24: Creating Solids and Editing in 3D ....................................................................................753 Chapter 25: Rendering in 3D ..............................................................................................................817Part V: Organizing and Managing Drawings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 849 Chapter 26: Keeping Control of Your Drawings ..................................................................................851 Chapter 27: Working with Other Applications ....................................................................................911 Chapter 28: Creating Electronic Output ..............................................................................................935 Part VI: Customizing AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT . . . . . . . . . . . 959 Chapter 29: Customizing Commands, Toolbars, and Tool Palettes ......................................................961 Chapter 30: Creating Macros and Slide Shows ....................................................................................983 Chapter 31: Creating Your Own Linetypes and Hatch Patterns ............................................................997 Chapter 32: Creating Shapes and Fonts ............................................................................................1009 Chapter 33: Customizing the Ribbon and Menus ..............................................................................1021 Part VII: Programming AutoCAD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1047 Chapter 34: Understanding AutoLISP and Visual LISP Basics ............................................................1049 Chapter 35: Exploring AutoLISP Further ..........................................................................................1065 Chapter 36: Exploring Advanced AutoLISP Topics ............................................................................1091 Chapter 37: Programming with Visual Basic for Applications ............................................................1107 Part VIII: Appendixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1137 Appendix A: Installing and Configuring AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT ................................................1139 Appendix B: AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Resources ..........................................................................1167 Appendix C: What’s on the DVD-ROM..............................................................................................1173 Index ................................................................................................................................................1181
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv
Part I: AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Basics
1 Quick Start: Drawing a Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Summary ....................................................................................................................................12
Chapter 1: Starting to Draw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
AutoCAD’s Advantages ................................................................................................................13 Comparing AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT ......................................................................................14 Starting AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT............................................................................................15 Creating a New Drawing ............................................................................................................15 Using the AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Interface ..........................................................................15 The drawing area ..............................................................................................................16 The UCS icon ........................................................................................................17 The crosshairs ........................................................................................................18 The ribbon and Quick Access toolbar ..............................................................................18 Using the Menu Browser ..................................................................................................19 The command line and dynamic input tooltip ..................................................................20 The status bar ..................................................................................................................20 Creating a New Folder ................................................................................................................20 Using the Interface ......................................................................................................................21 Saving a Drawing ........................................................................................................................23 Closing a Drawing and Exiting from AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT ................................................25 Summary ....................................................................................................................................26Chapter 2: Opening a Drawing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Creating a New Drawing from a Template ..................................................................................27 Working with Templates..............................................................................................................29 Customizing the default template......................................................................................29 Creating your own templates ............................................................................................30 Creating a Drawing with Default Settings ....................................................................................30Contents
Opening an Existing Drawing......................................................................................................31 Using other ways to open drawings ..................................................................................32 Switching among open drawings ......................................................................................32 Using an Existing Drawing as a Prototype ........................................................................33
Saving a Drawing under a New Name ........................................................................................33 Summary ....................................................................................................................................35
Chapter 3: Using Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37